Student's choice peer analysis

Valve index - Brian De Villa

For this assignment, we were tasked with analyzing the projects of other students. My first analysis will be on the Valve Index. The Index is the first VR headset that Valve developed entirely on their own, unlike the HTC Vive which they were partnered with to create. The Index very much sets the bar high for future HMDs, and the price reflects it ($1,000 for the HMD and all peripherals).

the first thing to talk about is the HMD. It features an impressive 1440x1600 resolution display for each eye, both natively running at 120Hz, but capable of 144Hz experimentally. Because HMDs are basically small monitors position right in front of your eyes, the resolution has to be extremely high with a very high refresh rate in order to be immersed. Many headsets suffer from a "screen-door" effect when the displays are not good enough, which, just like it sounds, is like looking at your content through a thin screen door. The Index completely solves this problem by housing the highest overall quality displays on the market. Additionally, it boasts a field of view of 130°, one of the highest on the market. Overall, it is nearly unanimous that the Index has one of the best, if not the best, display on the market.

The HMD has a number of other interesting features. The speakers sit only a few inches from the wearer's ears, and produce impressively loud and clear audio. This is yet another instance of Valve raising the bar for VR headsets moving forward. On the front of the HMD is a glossy cover which can be removed to reveal additional expansion ports. I think this feature of the headset is incredibly interesting, and it could set a trend moving forward to allows users to modify and augment their headsets with different types of hardware.

The next innovation has to be the controllers. Valve was able to accomplish something truly unique in this space by implementing finger tracking on the controllers. This is done by using a band that wraps around your knuckles, housing a multitude of sensors that are surprisingly accurate for finger tracking, adding additional layers of immersion to the games that implement those features. The tracking isn't perfect, though. The general consensus among most users are that it feels great when it works, but the level of accuracy ranges from player to player.

Lastly, the Index uses lighthouse-based tracking, which requires at least one sensor tower set up in the corner(s) of the play space. Just like the first generation, this type of tracking requires a relatively large, well-defined play-space, which may not be available to all users. However, the lighthouse 2.0 trackers improve significantly on the maximum size of the play area allowed.

In summary, these are some pros and cons for the Valve Index:

Pros:

• Best in class display
• Finger tracking (when it works)
• Big play area supported
• Fantastic speakers

Cons:

• One of the most expensive on the market
• Not great for people without a VR-devoted room
• Finicky finger tracking

CalcFlow - Shiva Reddy

My second analysis will be on CalcFlow, a virtual reality application that gives users a truly unique and revolutionary way to visualize mathematics. This application is supported by all the major VR platforms (Vive, SteamVR, Oculus), making it easily accessible to anyone with an HMD. Additionally, for personal use, CalcFlow is totally free, so anyone with a passion or curiosity for math can download it directly from https://nanome.ai/calcflow/.

The goal of CalcFlow is to give teachers and students ways to teach and learn various algebraic and calculus-based concepts in a way that was never possible before. CalcFlow allows you to record yourself using the software, which enables teachers to prepare lessons for their students to watch after the fact. CalcFlow also functions as a calculator, which gives it a whole new dimension (pun intended) of usability. From the student's perspective, being able to step into their professor's lesson and play around with the formulas presented is an invaluable tool for students to engage with their lessons.

From personal experience, I remember struggling heavily in calculus 2 and 3, which require the ability to visualize objects in 3D space. I can only imagine how I would have benefited from this software during my time. Additionally, this tool is specifically helpful for visual learners like myself. Oftentimes it is hard for many people to somehow bridge the concepts to reality, which is exactly what CalcFlow sets out to achieve.

In terms of the math supported, CalcFlow covers a wide array of topics in math. It allows you to manipulate graphs in 3D space, vector addition and cross-products, integrals, parameterized functions, and more. The UI is very easy to navigate, pulling up a virtual keyboard to enter your functions manually with several shortcut keys to help you along the way. Additionally, the software allows you to color your 3D figures in order to better illustrate the different aspects of the functions.

Pros:

• Gives visual learners a better way to learn math
• Gives teachers a unique way to present mathematical concepts to their students in an interactive way

Cons:

• Must have a VR headset to use, leaving students without them in the dark
• Specifically geared toward students that learn visually, not many others